Jobber (merchandising)

Jobber, in merchandising, can be synonymous with "wholesaler", "distributor", or "intermediary". A business which buys goods and bulk products from importers, other wholesalers, or manufacturers, and then sells to retailers, was historically called a jobbing house (or jobbing center). A jobber is a merchant—e.g., (i) a wholesaler or (ii) reseller or (iii) independent distributor operating on consignment—who takes goods in quantity from manufacturers or importers and sells or resells or distributes them to retail chains and syndicates, particularly supermarkets, department stores, drug chains, and the like. One objective is to distribute goods at lower costs through economies of scale, which, in sophisticated operations, typically uses complex transportation models. In competitive markets, the practice is an integral part of supply chain management—one that might incorporate, among other things, operations research in areas of logistics involving supply chain networking, and supply chain optimization. A jobber is very different from a broker. A broker transacts on behalf of a merchandiser while a jobber supplies inventory at a merchandiser's site for consumers to purchase.

Usage and etymology

The word "jobber" is sometimes dismissed as colloquial or obsolete. As of 2016, it is used in the industry sciences, trade press, popular media, and scholarly journals. The current meaning of jobber has been in existence since the introduction of the factory system, and earlier in cases with respect to importing goods. The word has a longstanding history in merchandising and can be found in print around the mid-19th century.[1][2] and variations, such as "pig jobber", date back to the 18th century.[lower-alpha 1] Jobbing was the subject of legislation in England in 1670 when a special act was enacted to prevent fraud in the buying and selling of cattle at Smithfield Market, London.[3][4][5] CRC jobber see M George.

Used in the following contexts

See also
Look up Jobber in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References

Notes
  1. "Pig-jobber," from the British & World English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionaries, states that its use is from the early 18th century; earliest use found in a 1757 book, Observations in Husbandry
    1. Observations in Husbandry (2nd ed., Vol. 2 of 2), by Edward Lisle (1666–1722), printed posthumously by John Hughs (1703–1771) near Lincoln's Inn Fields for Charles Hitch ( –1764) and Lacy Hawes (1698–1776), James Rivington (1724–1802) and James Fletcher, Sr. (1710–1795), in St. Paul's Church Yard, and Robert and James Dodsley in Pall Mall, London, 1757, pg. 329; OCLC 11645852
    2. "Pig-jobber," OxfordDictionaries.com (retrieved 14 January 2016)

Citations
  1. "Present Day Jobbing," by James H. Ritter, The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 22, November 1903, pps. pp. 39–46; JSTOR link
  2. "Debt for the Mexican War," Advocate of Peace (1847–1884), Vol. 7, No. 17/18, May & June 1848, pps. 210–211 (reprinted by the World Affairs Institute); JSTOR link
  3. An Act to Prevent Fraudes in the Buying and Selling of Cattell in Smithfeild and Elsewhere
    Charles II, 1670 & 1671
    9th Session of Cavalier Parliament, 22 & 23
    Chap. 19; Chancery Roll p. 2, I. 7; original Act 39
    Statutes of the Realm 1628–80 (Vol. 5 of 11)
    John Raithby (ed.)
    Great Britain, Record Commission (s.l. 1819)
    pps. 733–734
  4. "Jobber," Dictionary.com, Unabridged, Random House, Inc. (retrieved 14 January 2016)
  5. Middlemen in English Business: Particularly Between 1660 and 1760, by Ray Bert Westerfield, PhD, Yale University Press, Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences pg. 197 (1915)
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